Despite Decline, Some Industries See Uptick Prompting Call for More Diligence

WASHINGTON—The number of fatal injuries in America's workplaces fell 7% last year from 2011, but upticks in the construction and oil and gas industries prompted Labor Secretary Tom Perez to call for more diligence.

Fatal injuries in private-sector construction rose 5% to 775 in 2012 from 738 in 2011, even though the total hours worked in the industry rose just 1%, according to the preliminary results from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries issued by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before the 2012...